Relations  A Prompt Response
by LadyScarlett2424
Summary: Relations, a prompt response to the Nathaniel Howe thread.  Alyssa Cousland is paranoid about the Amaranthine nobility and some of their party. Her brother Alessander balances that out. However, can she be proven true. Possible series.


**Prompt: Relations (PR? Not going to go down well. To say I'm a people person 'tis a horrid lie, and 1/2 characters fit my opinion a little bit more strongly.)**

**Dragon Age, it's characters, places, names, etc. belong to BioWare.**

**Alyssa Cousland and Alessander Cousland are mine.**

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She glared at the nobles through the eyelashes. She didn't particularly care for them. She thought them all snot-nosed fools with sticks up their arses. And she suspected since coming to Amaranthine, they were all snot-nosed with sticks up their arses that wanted to kill her. Well, maybe not _just_ her. Simple fact, clean, pure and true.

Still, Alyssa didn't bother to even try changing their opinions. She was perfectly content leaning against a wall in one of the darkened corners, glaring with spite at nobles who dared even glance her way. She wanted them to know that she liked them as much as they liked her—and probably worse because their arrival had forced her into a dress.

Even though the soft emerald gown went with her brown ringlets and allowed her eyes (which were the oddest shade of gold) stand out, she hated the thing. It made her uncomfortable—she just wanted to peel it off her skin, throw it into the flaming pit in the center of the throne room in the Keep and burn the thing. The flat shoes with silver beads on the toe and that hugged her feet delicately would not be far behind, and possibly the earrings as well. Alyssa did not want to be beautiful. She wanted to be prepared.

"See you're enjoying yourself, sister." Alessander replied as he joined her. The man was the exact same age as her—which would be twenty-three—and he looked nearly exactly like her except with his looks not as delicate as her own, being stronger built, several inches taller, and having short hair. But it was not short enough to hide the fact it curled. It would make sense after all—Alessander Cousland was Alyssa Cousland's twin brother, and being the oldest of the twins, was technically the Warden-Commander of Ferelden.

Even though she had fought hard during the most recent Blight which had just ended two years ago with the upcoming spring, Alyssa was content on not have been given the position as leader. She was a very shoddy one—and whoever got on her bad side would be conveniently bleeding on the ground two minutes later, despite being friend or foe. People didn't like her, and she made damn sure she appreciated them in the same way. With Alessander, they were always inspired to fight and willing to die for him.

The one thing Alyssa could fear was Alessander dying, which she did. She wouldn't lead like he did—she couldn't.

Alyssa drew back to the conversation. "Yes, I am so very enjoying myself." She replied sarcastically. Alessander laughed.

"You should try to make friends."

"I don't mingle well with others Alessander—I thought we discussed this."

"You mingled well enough with-."

"Don't talk about him." Alyssa snapped, angry. She had spent an entire years trying to track down whom her twin was about to speak of. Saying his name had become an unspoken blasphemy with the twins. She had been naïve, and she had been stupid. An insipid little girl with insipid little dreams two years ago.

"Well, can you try to make friends before the rumors about a conspiracy where you kill everyone in Amaranthine become real?" He pleaded.  
"Oh, I would _kill_ everyone. You'd be unscathed. Seneschal Varel seems nice enough, and Garevel is sincere so they'd survive. I wouldn't kill Oghren because he's _your _friend, and if Anders manages to keep his cat from pissing on more books, I'll let him live too." Alyssa laughed.

Alessander smiled at that, and his face grew grim as he glanced into the crowd. "And what about the Howe?"

"What?"

"What about Nathaniel?"  
Alyssa followed her brother's eyes to see him staring at the man in the opposite corner who would probably be the closest to how Alyssa felt. He too, was staring into the crowd with a look of distaste, but the nobles and even the others with them seemed weary of the son of the former Arl of Amaranthine, like he was a leper. The only time she had seen anyone speak to him the entire evening was when Alessander had stopped by to talk to him, and then Bann Esmerelle of the city of Amaranthine. She remembered seeing a slightly worried look on his face when the woman had talked to him.

The only reason he still breathed was because Alessander was Commander and wanted him as a Warden, and he had barely convinced Alyssa to let the man have a second chance.

It was almost as if Rendon Howe's son could sense her staring at him, because he snapped his attention away from the crowd and looked her directly in the eyes and something changed in them, something that made Alyssa feel a larger bit of fear then she normally ever would have.

The crystal-like gray of Nathaniel Howe's eyes that would've been considered attractive by most were filled with the utmost of rage, and Alyssa knew something within less then half a second. Nathaniel didn't mind Alessander, she could tell. But he hated her. The look he gave her made her know he would happily snap her neck without a second thought.

Alyssa broke eye contact, looking at the ground. She felt uncomfortable, like she wanted to tear off her skin now, and then just flee. She just needed to flee.

"I—I don't know." Alyssa replied. "Listen, I need a breath of air. I can't stand being in here and being cramped. I—I'll be back soon." Without more of a explanation, she moved from her twin brother's side and towards the doors out of the main room of the Vigil that lead directly outside. Directly to freedom.

But she could sense eyes on her, and she turned and dared to glance at the Howe.

He had a smirk on his lips. One that she could easily read as well as his eyes.

Nathaniel Howe knew he had Alyssa Cousland afraid, and that was exactly where he wanted her.

Without a second thought, Alyssa threw her sight directly ahead of her and shoved the door open, fleeing into the safe embrace of darkness.


End file.
